Tower_Winter_17 - 8

Meeting The
Needs Of Industry
I

Dr. Zoann Parker, Ph.D,
Vice President of Academic Affairs

ntroduction of our newest Associate Degree Program: Computer Software
Engineering Technology (CSET).

Thaddeus Stevens College is always looking to support industry needs with practical,
sustainable solutions. So when the web development community came to us looking
for agile, creative designers and programmers we responded with the Computer
Software Engineering Technology program (known around here as CSET). As with
all our programs, an assessment was done to determine the industry needs and hiring
commitment, entry salary level and cost of setting up the program at the college. The
next step was to engage the web development community in the curriculum design.
They diligently put together a 73 credit program that will take a student from the
Introduction to Web Application to Software Principles. All students will be completing
software projects that mimic real life applications, thus preparing for the work world.
The next step was to find an instructor that could bring together the brand new
curriculum, industry experts and their own expertise to engage the freshman class. We
are very pleased to have hired Brianna Piccari, a local programmer and web designer.
'I'm thrilled to be part of the Computer
Software Engineering Technology program
at Thaddeus Stevens - and I cannot wait to
see how it continues to evolve over time. The
program is addressing not just a local skills gap,
but a national one, giving Stevens graduates
an incredible advantage as they get into the
workplace.

"The program is addressing
not just a local skills gap,
but a national one."
Bri Piccari

The final step in the process was to recruit student for the inaugural class. The class
filled almost immediately with 26 students. Ms. Piccari commented on the students
with; "This program gives the students an incredible amount of hands on experience
within Development and Software Engineering, teaching them skills I didn't learn until
I got to the workplace. Being able to introduce these students to the tech industry has
been an incredible experience - I can't wait to see all that they do in the coming years."
I look forward to graduating this class in another year and following their industry
successes.
All the best,

Zoann Parker, Ph.D.
Vice President of Academic Affairs
8 Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology

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